PABLO ZABALETA says Manchester City are desperate to avoid putting themselves through the emotional wringer of a last-gasp title triumph again.

Pablo Zabaleta wants Man City to avoid any last-day drama like two years ago[ACTION IMAGES]

City need only a point against West Ham at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday to pip Liverpool on goal difference but Zabaleta wants no repeat of the unforgettable late drama that accompanied their championship triumph two years ago.

Then City needed added-time goals from Edin Dzeko and Sergio Aguero to come from behind to beat QPR 3-2 and edge out neighbours Manchester United - who had won at Sunderland - on goal difference.

This time Argentina international Zabaleta, who scored City's first goal in the QPR game, says he and his team-mates are determined to get the job done early.

"Every single player knows we have done nothing yet. We are 90 minutes away [from the title] but we cannot relax," he said.

"Most of our players have been here for more than two years, so we have the experience of that game against QPR where everything was decided in the last minute. We don't want that again.

"We know a draw is enough to win the league but we won't be playing for a draw. We will play to win. We need to finish this with a big win on Sunday.

"These players want to keep winning trophies and bringing success to this club, to make the club even bigger."

Despite hoping for early goals to ease any anxieties, Zabaleta accepts City may well have to be patient and wait for the openings to come, as they did against Aston Villa on Wednesday when the first of their four goals did not arrive until the 64th minute.

Sergio Aguero's late title-winning goal is iconic [REUTERS]

"Patience was the key to winning that game," he added. "And we will need to be clever in the way we manage Sunday's game because it will probably be the same as Wednesday.

"That's why we need to keep calm. If we don't score, we must keep passing and trying to find space, and with the quality we have at some point of the game we can score.

"At half-time we were talking about needing to score. When you are in that situation, you can be a little nervous but the manager told us to be patient and keep moving the ball, and that we would get the one chance to score. And that's how it was.

"Once we scored the first goal, the game changed completely. There was more space to find more goals, and we did it well. It was important to keep trying to score more goals because when we are winning it is important we don't go deep and try to protect the result.

"It's something we have done well this season. When we have been 1-0 or 2-0 ahead we have kept playing in the same way, with ball possession and trying to score goals. That shows in the fact we have scored 100 goals this season. Hopefully we will score some more on Sunday. It has been important all season."

Zabaleta called Yaya Toure an "animal" after his midweek wonder-goal [GETTY]

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Zabaleta described Yaya Toure as "an animal" for the way he scored City's fourth goal on Wednesday by galloping through Villa's defence on one of his trademark unstoppable runs.

"Yaya is so fast and strong when he starts running forwards," he said. "No one can stop him - he is an animal. Unbelievable! To score a goal like that after 90 minutes was just incredible."

Meanwhile, Toure's midfield partner Fernandinho insists he will put his double celebration on hold until Sunday night. He hopes to follow his call-up to the Brazil squad for this summer's World Cup with a Premier League title medal but will not get carried away - yet.

"Being called up for the World Cup squad was the news I've been waiting for," he said. "It was one of the reasons I wanted to come to the Premier League. Of course it's a big thing for me - it's every Brazilian player's dream to play in the World Cup in our own country.

"But I cannot start thinking about it until after Sunday. That's when I may start to feel emotional about it. Maybe on Sunday night or Monday will be the time for me to celebrate my call up and the league title.

"For now I need to be calm and concentrate on Sunday's game. After that I can do anything. I hope it's going to be the best summer ever - one I will always remember."